(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to storage boxes for pick-up trucks, and more particularly to a collapsible security storage apparatus adapted for use in the truck bed of a pick-up truck, the storage apparatus having a folded configuration in which the unit may be made to lie flat on the truck bed, and having an unfolded configuration to form a security storage compartment.
(2) Prior Art
Theft of items from storage containers in the truck beds of unattended pick-up trucks has unfortunately been a not uncommon occurrence through the years. Various devices for efficiently and compactly securing and storing tools and equipment in trucks have been designed to prevent unauthorized removal of such items. Attempts have also been made to combine the high security features of such compartments with convertibility so that the storage compartment area or the truck bed area may be utilized for other purposes if necessary. However, it will be appreciated that the combination of high security and convertibility or even removability, though desirable, is difficult to achieve.
Typically, such designs have taken the form of a cover for the complete truck bed, which may be extended between the sidewalls of the truck bed, secured to the front wall and attached to the closed tailgate; one such device is disclosed n U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,377. The pick up bed cover may cover only a portion of the truck bed, leaving an open area in the truck bed, or slide along channels in the sidewalls, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,362. The covers may have a portion attachable to the rear of the truck, so that the tailgate of the vehicle forms a closure with the container when the tailgate is raised. A box-like container of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,896. The panel facing forward may also be slanted so as to reduce air drag normally caused by an upright tailgate, as is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,451,075 and 4,506,870. Other efforts have led to a compartment cover utilizing "C" shaped channels on opposite inner sidewalls having a portion of the upper part of the "C" shaped channel cut away to provide a lower shelf for the cover and allow for upward arcing of the cover while it is being inserted in the "C" channel. The "C" channel is necessarily wide enough to permit some vertical motion of the cover during insertion of the cover, and may be pried open. It would be desirable that the cover fit snugly in or on the brackets on the sidewalls of the truck bed, to prevent someone from prying the compartment open. It would also be desirable to provide some means for substantially preventing vertical movement of the cover once the cover is locked in place. Ideally, in order to prevent unauthorized access to such compartments, the compartment should be permanently secured in position to allow no opportunity for prying open a lid or a panel. However, the desirable features of removability or convertibility generally also endow such storage compartments with at least some areas where purchase may be gained for prying open the compartment. Conversely, the more permanent such a structure is in order to provide greater security, the less such a structure is generally capable of being collapsed or removed to allow full use of the space which a truck bed normally provides.